BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad is fresh, healthy, and full of protein, flavor, and texture! Perfect for lunch or dinner.
Have you ever come up with a fabulous idea for a recipe and thought to yourself, I’m a genius! — only to realize after Googling said idea that you’re the millionth person to the party?
Yeah, me too.
Always looking for a new way to use quinoa in my cooking, as it’s an ingredient my husband and I can both agree on (unlike onions, cream cheese, eel, squash, cool whip, chevre, peanut noodles, or mushrooms) and can’t be beat in the nutritional department, I thought —
What if I paired quinoa with summer staples like grilled chicken and corn then drizzled it with a cool dressing of sweet BBQ sauce and creamy Greek yogurt, and called it thebestthingeverrrr?!
Well, I can tell you why it’s a popular idea — BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad is unreal!
Full of over-the-top flavors like smoky grilled corn and sweet BBQ sauce, plus protein-packed ingredients like grilled chicken, creamy black beans, and fluffy quinoa, BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad is a healthy and delicious party on a plate.
Use leftover grilled chicken and corn from your last BBQ, or even rotisserie chicken and frozen corn to get BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad to your table even faster.
No matter the method, the fresh and satisfying flavors will still shine through.
Start by adding pre-rinsed quinoa and chicken broth to a small saucepan then bring it to a boil. Place a lid on top then turn the heat to low and simmer the quinoa for 15 minutes or until tender.
Fluff the quinoa with a fork then set it aside.
Meanwhile, grill chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper, plus a couple ears of sweet corn over medium-high heat. The chicken should take about 4-5 minutes a side, and the corn will take just as long. A match made in grilling heaven!
Let the chicken cool for a few minutes then shred or chop it up. Toss with enough of your favorite BBQ sauce to coat then set aside.
Next, slice the charred kernels off the cob.
To make the BBQ sauce drizzle that goes on top of the dish, simply stir together equal amounts of BBQ sauce and plain Greek yogurt.
Top the cooked quinoa with the shredded BBQ chicken and grilled corn then add black beans and shredded cheddar cheese. Pop the dish in the microwave for 20 seconds to melt the cheese (if you want) then drizzle with the BBQ sauce dressing and top with chopped cilantro.
Finally, devour!
I don’t know what I love best — how filling or how flavorful this dish is!
Each bite is more interesting than the last. This is a fantastic summer lunch or dinner recipe – enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, pre-rinsed
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 chicken breasts, ~1lb, pounded to an even thickness
- salt and pepper
- 2 ears sweet corn, 1 cup frozen sweet corn kernels
- 1/2 cup black beans
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup BBQ sauce, plus more for chicken
- chopped fresh cilantro, for topping
Directions
- Add quinoa and chicken broth to a small saucepan then bring to a boil over high heat. Place a lid on top, turn heat to low, then cook until quinoa is tender, 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork then set aside to cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper then grill over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes a side, or until no longer pink in the center. (Alternatively you could saute or poach the chicken, or use leftover or rotisserie chicken.) Add corn cobs to the grill at the same time then rotate every couple of minutes to evenly char on all sides. Remove chicken and corn to a plate then let cool slightly. Shred or cut chicken into cubes, then mix with enough BBQ sauce to coat. Slice kernels off the cob then set aside.
- Mix together Greek yogurt and BBQ sauce in a bowl. Evenly divide the cooked quinoa, BBQ chicken, grilled corn, black beans, and shredded cheese between four plates. Drizzle with yogurt and BBQ sauce mixture, then garnish with chopped cilantro.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
I agree 100% with your store preferences, including the “j. crew if I had a bigger budget” :) And obviously I love this recipe…anything with quinoa is an obvious winner.
Trying this recipe tonight!
I LOVE shopping at the Limited, Banana Republic and Von Maur :) I wish I had the budget to shop at JCrew more often too!
My jaw hit the floor when you said you bought that Chobani large container for $.88 I had to (regretfully) pass it up at the grocery store yesterday as they were asking $6.30 for it. Yes. That’s right. $6.30!!!! I couldn’t believe my eyes.
I usually pay $6 ($5.99) for a container that size. If my husband had any idea, he’d kill me!
That looks incredible! Will have to try asap!
I’m a big LOFT fan too! My mom and I go shopping there all the time. She loves it for the petite clothes too! I love how their clothes can be worn in a professional setting and a casual one too :) Wish I had more money to shop there all the time ha!
I love how the grill is incorporated into so many of your meals! I just wish we could keep ours on our deck (condo rules say “no”) so that we could utilize it more!
Banana Republic sales!
Another fab salad recipe – I’m still in love with your Chipotle-Mango BBQ Chicken Salad recipe. Can´t wait to try this one.
Any suggestion if my family doesn’t like BBQ sauce?
INC Petites are the best at Macy’s!
Recipe looks yummy! i love using greek yogurt as a base for things and making a dressing. I love Target for clothes and everything else shopping. They have fun pieces for each season and plenty of stables that don’t go out of style. The pants and jeans come in different fits and lengths (cause short legs are not fun). As a bonus they rotate items out so they soon hit the clearance racks, Score!
This salad looks awesome! I’m about to write my shopping list and I’m pretty sure it’s getting added.
So of all the things Ben and you don’t agree on, I’m wondering who likes peanut noodles? I LOVE them and Hubster thinks they’re ok to mehh. :)
I buy a lot of my work clothes at Express. They have pants that fit me great. Outside work (ie dresses b/c that’s all I really want to wear) is a combination of Urban Outfitters (you have to dig but they have cute stuff) and random finds on flash sale sites. I also really like Francesca’s. I always find something cute when I’m there.
making this asap!! looks awesome and would please everyone.
i’m a huge nanner town (banana republic outlet) junkie. (thank HEAVENS for williamsburg)
between that and target, i’m set! :)
I didn’t know about rinsing the quinoa! I’ve also never cooked it in a broth! Wow, you’re opening my eyes. This recipe looks delicious :)
I’m big into Forever21 and H&M! I’m also obsessed with Target, sometimes I need to avoid the clothing section because I get sucked in!
I also work on a (small) rotation basis with my outfits! Can totally relate :)
With our budget, we go to Goodwill, Forever 21, and JCPenney when we get the annual gift card from my bro. Sometimes I’m given clothes free which is awesome. We need all the help we can get!